The Edge of Reason
by Xenopsyche
Summary: Danny's growing influence has become to great for Vlad to ignore any longer, so he enacts his final scheme, a gambit as fraught with risk as his reawakening of Pariah Dark. But it involves no ancient ghosts or powerful artefacts this time. No, this time its an attack aimed directly at Danny himself, and Vlad may have just over-stepped his mark...
1. And Here We go

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

**[AN: Allow me to welcome you to my first attempt at an entirely original DP story. In fact, it was the idea for this story that spawned all of my fics after 'Pre-emptive Strike', as I felt I needed a way to build up the background to this concept.**

**I will explain more at the end of this chapter, so I will detain you no longer.**

**I hope you enjoy the first chapter./AN]**

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><p><span><strong>The Edge of Reason<strong>

**Chapter 1:****And Here We Go...**

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><p>"Skulker, are the charges in place? Fright Knight is en-route and he cannot lead an army that is still locked behind bars," drawled the patronising voice now echoing through his comm unit.<p>

Skulker couldn't help the scowl that morphed his metallic features. Deciding to grit his teeth and bear it, he continued to listen. He might not like the guy, but he paid well, so he put up with his boss' superiority complex; for the moment at least.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's primed and set to go off when he arrives, so long as _he _keeps his schedule. I've cleared the way to your Portal as well, so there shouldn't be any problems for that part of your plan."

"Good, just ensure that you are in position when the time comes; if you fail than this entire exercise will be pointless."

"Yeah, I got it; I'll hang back until you tell me to go. But what makes you think that this plan of yours is even going to work? The Whelp has become much more powerful in the last few years, and now he has that whole team behind him."

"Oh I have no doubt Daniel will be able to see off this attack, but that is not the point. This is but the first move in a very stacked game of chess; I wouldn't expect you to understand such complexities."

Skulker sneered in distaste, but once again decided it best to hold his tongue (metaphorically speaking). As he flew away from Walker's prison, he decided that Plasmius' ego was like the Ghost Zone; infinite, unexplainable and mind-numbingly infuriating.

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><p>"And how's my beautifully gothic fiancée doing this morning?" Danny said with over-the-top enthusiasm as he slid into his customary spot at their favourite breakfast joint in the town centre.<p>

Sam's scowl would have sent lesser heroes scurrying for cover, but not Danny; he had built up a resistance of sorts after nearly fifteen years of exposure to it. Now he just grinned.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, 7am is an unholy hour to be awake at on a Saturday. So why did you insist on meeting up this early again?"

"Come on Sam, you know it's one of the few times Tuck has free that matches up with us, at least for the next couple of months."

"Sleep time does _not_ count as free time just because _you're_ used to being up at all hours," she accused, still clearly conveying her displeasure with the morning hour.

"You never complain when I come by at midnight to get patched up," Danny said, smirking when Sam failed to conceal the small blush that had coloured her cheeks.

"That's different. Besides, midnight is not time for sleep; 7am on a Saturday morning, however, _is_," she defended.

"You know, most people would disagree with that statement," he shot back, enjoying the opportunity to indulge in their usual banter.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time, and it won't be the last, either," she replied as sass began to predominate over irritation, before taking another sip of her tea, "and by the way, where's my daughter?"

"Still at home, I think she must have inherited your sleeping habits because when I tried to wake her up, her response was something like 'uugghhhh' and then turning invisible. It wouldn't surprise me if she shows up here in half an hour when she realises what she's missing."

"Hmmm, it's only been three days since I last saw her and I'm already feeling like part of me is missing; Maternal Instincts: 1, Rational Thought: 0," she responded dryly.

"I told you you'd make a great mum. And just think, less than a year and we can really be a family."

"I am _definitely_ looking forward to that," Sam said as she leaned in for a kiss.

Of course, their little moment was interrupted by the arrival of the third member of their usual quintet.

"Ugh, three years on and you _still_ haven't gotten all the 'Lovebird' stuff out of your systems yet?"

The pair just deepened their kiss, pointedly ignoring their bereted friend's arrival and subsequent jibe.

"You know, if you want some privacy, I can just go…" he deadpanned when they still hadn't responded.

Finally disengaging from each other, Danny slid over in his booth to make room while Sam slid a menu his way, even though none of them had changed their order in months.

Seeing the three regulars in their seats, Sandy, one of the long-time waitresses, quickly made her way over to them, more to confirm their order than anything else.

"Let me guess, scrambled eggs on a bagel, with grilled tomato, hash browns and bacon on the side for Danny, Veggie fritters and a bowl of porridge for Sam, and the 'Tuck In' special for Tucker? I imagine Valerie will want her usual as well, when she gets here. And no Dani today? We even had some waffles ready to go for her."

"No, she's sleeping in this morning, but I'm sure she'll be here soon enough. If not, then I'll just have to describe how good those waffles tasted to her in exacting detail when I get ba-" Danny started before being cut off by a familiar icy tingle in the back of his throat. Pretending to clear his throat with a small cough, the faintly visible puff of condensation quickly dissipated.

But the cold, frigid sensation coiling up through his airways didn't. In fact, it only got stronger.

Sandy looked on in concern as he quickly fell into a very audible coughing fit, despite his obvious attempts to suppress it. It was a wet, hacking sound that reminded her of the time her brother had come down with pneumonia. She was so surprised by the sudden and violent reaction that she didn't even notice the sudden drop in the room's temperature.

But Sam and Tucker did.

They had immediately recognised the signs of Danny's Ghost Sense going off, but this reaction was new and concerning. He hadn't been affected like this since his ice core began to really manifest itself, before he had learned to channel it; and that was _years_ ago.

As such, they were keenly aware of the plummeting air temperature, and they could quite clearly see Danny's mug of coffee freeze over as his coughing intensified.

Eventually regaining some semblance of control over his powers, Danny managed to half-stand and slip past Tucker, forcing out an excuse about going outside for some air, in-between his bronchial spasms.

Tucker and Sam watched in shock as he stumbled out of the diner, the windows next to his path frosting up as he went. After a moment of mutual confusion, they were immediately offering their own apologies to their stunned waitress and rushing out after their friend.

They found him, as Phantom, floating motionless above the street, surrounded by snap-frozen trees and plantings that made the whole scene look like some sort of disturbing fantasy realm. But that wasn't what froze them to the spot. No, that was something completely different.

It was the hundreds upon hundreds of ghosts rapidly descending on the town like an ant colony swarming over a sugar cube.

If he had of been facing them, they would have seen Danny's eyes go from wide and shocked to dangerously narrowed and glowing with a rarely seen intensity. But they couldn't, so all they had to go off to judge his current feelings was his voice.

A voice that sounded about as warm as their currently ice-entombed surroundings.

"Tucker, call everyone in. Call everyone in, right now."

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><p><strong>[AN: A couple of notes first up:<strong>

**Firstly, I said I had two more DP stories in the works recently, but that is no longer the case. The fic I was planning to have before this one just didn't pan out as the plot wasn't really compelling enough to justify it; it was basically an expanded version of Lancer's chapter in 'The Team Phantom Handbook'. ****On the plus side, that means I could get this chapter out sooner.**

**Secondly, this fic is to blame for the slight delay with the next chapter of 'TTPH', and I will aim to alternate updates, hopefully getting out one for each every week, but I can't promise it.**

**Thirdly, I want to clear up some continuity points. this fic takes place a couple of years after the main body of 'The Events That Shape Us' but slightly less than a year _before _that stories epilogue chapter. There are a couple of minor continuity errors between this story and early chapters of 'TTPH', as my ideas surrounding this story-verse have evolved as I've been writing. I intend to go back and update 'TTPH' soon, when I have the chance as some parts are in dire need or an update and the formatting in general could use some work.**

**And finally, a quick explanation of Danny's ghost Sense because I haven't had the chance to explain it in 'TTPH'. basically, I imagine it as a slight jump in power output by his Primary (ice) core that occurs when it is exposed to trace increases in ectoplasm, such as when another ghost shows up. This is because he lives in an ectoplasm-poor environment, so his cores react strongly to even minute increases in concentration, hence the runaway effect seen in this chapter when literally hundreds/thousands of ghosts suddenly showed up at the same time.**

**And now that those are out of the way, thanks for taking the time to look at this story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue to enjoy the rest of this story as it comes.**

**If you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it.**

**Thanks again!**

**/AN]**


	2. Time Enough

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

**[AN: Sorry for the wait, but here we are. I've been quite busy recently, so I will get back to those who have reviewed and PM'd me as soon as possible, but that might be in the next couple of days. This chapter ended up much longer than I thought it would, so the next couple of chapters are where it really starts to get interesting.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you enjoy the story. /AN]**

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><p><span><strong>The Edge of Reason<strong>

**Chapter 2:**** Time Enough**

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><p>Danny started issuing orders immediately.<p>

"Sam, get back to FentonWorks and gear up, you're going to need to be in the thick of it, so go heavy on armour and weapons. Tuck, grab the Speeder and bring some heavy fire, I need you to try and keep them contained on the ground, I'll take them from the air. We need to keep them busy until we can get some real reinforcements."

Neither of them hesitated as they both dashed off at a dead sprint in the direction of the auspicious building.

Turning back towards the horde of encroaching ghosts, Danny sped off to meet them head on as he keyed the radio in his Fenton Phones.

"Jazz, where are you?"

"Just got to the Ops Centre, I'll be plugged in and online soon." Her voice replied, her laboured breathing audible even over the rushing wind whipping past his head; she must have sprinted up to the Ops Centre once she got Tuck's message.

"Good, I'll need you running Command and Control. Tell me once you have an enemy reading so I know what we're dealing with here, and tell mom and dad to grab the GAV and coordinate with Lancer, start getting people to the protected areas; I don't think this is going to be over any time soon," he stated grimly, a fact that was becoming all too apparent as he approached the horde of ghosts.

"Will do, and they're already on it. Everyone's checked in as well, well, except for Clockwork, but that's not a surprise. Dani's on her way to you, as well, want me to patch her in?"

"Yes please, Val too," he said as he rapidly approached the nearest group of ghosts. He really hoped they would respond soon because he was running out of time to give them a role.

Thankfully, it was at that moment that time… stopped.

It took a moment for Danny to notice that everything else around him had stopped moving and register the familiar weight of one of Clockwork's medallions hanging around his neck. Turning around he was greeted by the floating form of Clockwork himself.

"Clockwork! You're here! In person! Why- oh man, does this mean everything is about to go _really_ badly? What should I do? Is someone going to get hurt? Is it Sam or-" Danny exclaimed before his slightly frantic rambling was cut off by the now elderly ghost floating in front of him.

"Calm yourself, Daniel; all is as it should be. I am here because you requested my presence, and because I know that you could use my help. I also brought some friends; they happen to be yours, as well."

Sure enough, there on the ground beneath them were the rest of his allies, human and spectral alike; Sam, loaded up with body armour, a Fenton bazooka, two wrist-rays and a collapsed ecto-staff; Valerie, in her upgraded and overhauled Red Huntress suit, Jet-sled at the ready and bristling with weapons; Dani, practically glowing with power and eager as always for a fight; and Wulf, standing proud and tall, vicious claws on full display.

But the real surprise was Dora, Frostbite and Pandora. Not only were they present, they had come with a rather substantial force of their elite units:

Dora and her Elite Guard; fifty of the best Knights in her realm, covered head-to-toe in plate mail, some mounted and some on foot, and all carrying a small arsenal of weapons from long swords to flails to heavy maces. And that's not even including Dora herself, her draconic form having proved to be very effective in previous engagements.

Frostbite and the Warriors of the Far Frozen; each one standing over twelve feet tall and covered in intricate patterns war-paint, cradling immense ice weapons, great swords and war hammers mainly, with ease

And Pandora and her Hoplites; one hundred fully armoured Greek hoplites in neat formation, immense Hoplon shields held proudly by their sides.

They were all also perfectly static, the lack of a medallion around the neck of any of them explaining that curiosity.

"Uh… wow," was Danny's intelligent response as he stared in shock at the intimidating array of ghosts in front of him, "so, uh, you…" he trailed off, allowing Clockwork to finish his half-statement.

"… Stopped time and teleported them all here, yes. Until now, time was a rather scarce resource for you; I thought I could help with that."

And with that he began to place medallions around the necks of all his allies, each one quickly reacting to the change in scenery, noting the medallion now hanging around their necks, then Clockwork, and finally the presence of everyone else.

"You couldn't just, I don't know, ignore the Observants and reverse time back to _before_ the giant horde of ghosts attack, could you?" Danny queried, just in case.

Clockwork's neutral, unamused expression was his only answer.

"Yeah, I didn't think so…" he sighed, before turning to his allies who were taking a moment to catch up and take stock.

"Well, that should help even the odds," Sam stated dryly as she inspected the rows upon rows of impressive troops.

"Indeed," was Pandora's only response as she sized up the yeti-like Far Frozen warriors and the heavily armoured procession of Knights.

"Frostbite!" Dani all but squealed as she raced up to her enormous friend.

"Hello Little One! Have any of your ice powers started developing yet?"

"No, just my Ghost Sense, but I'm sure they will soon!"

"A pity, I imagine you would have gotten much practice today!" he replied, laughing deeply as he did.

"Damn, I'm glad I never tried fighting any of you guys…" Valerie trailed off as she too made her greetings and took in the sight of the multitude of friendly ghosts.

It was Frostbite that was the first to bring everyone's attention back to the topic at hand when he noticed Danny waiting patiently.

"What do you require of us, Great One? You may command my forces as you see fit," Frostbite declared, bowing low as he did so.

Pandora echoed the sentiment

"Mine as well, young Phantom."

"My Knights are yours, Sir Phantom, though they will need to be roused from this stasis first…" Dora noted as she inspected her immobile troops.

"They will, in time. The number of medallions required for every member of this group would have been… problematic," Clockwork stated as he took a place next to the rest of the team, "now, I believe you were about to give us our roles, Daniel?"

"Uh, yeah, right, just give me a moment…" he mumbled as he tried to focus back on the impending battle, clearing his mind of the concerns that had been plagued with anxiety just beforehand.

"Right, okay. Pandora; I need your Hoplites to secure a safe perimeter a couple of blocks out from the major safe zones and make a corridor for my parents and to funnel civilians through. The ghost shields and automated defences should hold, but they'll be badly exposed on the way there if we can't contain these guys. Once the civilian's are secure, then they can join the fray. You yourself can do as you see fit, either stay with your troops or fight on the ground; I'll leave it up to you."

The four-armed queen nodded in understanding, drawing her weapons in preparation.

"Dani, Val, you two need to corral them in the air, keep them from going beyond a certain point. Tucker will be doing the same on the ground with the Spectre Speeder and we'll try and push them into a single localised point in the park."

"Got it Danny, they won't get passed us," Valerie said as she hopped onto her board and prepared to take off.

"You got it, Daddy," Dani agreed.

"Dora, Frostbite, you and your forces will be providing most of the muscle for this; hit them from two sides and drive them back to the park. I'll take care of them after that," Danny stated grimly as the two leaders in question nodded, understanding the implication.

"Sam, Wulf, I need you two to stick together and stay mobile, take out any targets of opportunity you find. Don't get bogged down and don't let them get organised; the more off balance we can keep them, the better. And Wulf, keep her safe; something about this whole thing is just… _wrong_, I can't put my finger on it exactly, but I have a bad feeling about this."

Wulf bowed his head in acknowledgement, and for once Sam didn't try and fight his (over)protective nature.

"And Clockwork… actually, I don't really have a role for you; I've never had to think about it before," he admitted sheepishly.

"I can help everywhere. While the use of my temporal powers may be restricted, my more mundane abilities should be more than sufficient," Clockwork replied with small grin that looked almost… malicious.

With a tap of his staff, the large group was suddenly surrounded by twenty more Clockworks, each looking like a different warrior from a different period in history, and all wreathed in ecto-energy.

"… Well, that should work," Danny deadpanned while the others just nodded mutely. He and Sam had seen it before, though it was still something of a shock.

"And what about you, Great One? What will you be doing?" Frostbite asked when he had shaken off his surprise.

Before Danny could reply, Clockwork, the original, interrupted.

"I would suggest that he deal with the leader of this assault," he said as he pointed his staff towards the myriad ghosts before them.

There, at the head of the hoard was a familiar, and unwelcome, ghost; clad entirely in heavy black iron plate armour, adorned with spikes, weapons and with a blazing purple cape flaring out behind him, he cast an immediately recognisable silhouette.

Frozen in time, the Fright Knight sat on his demonic steed, Soul Shredder held high as he led the horde at a gallop, heading straight for the centre of town.

Danny looked thunderous as he recognised one of his more devastating foes, but to everyone's surprise (other than Clockwork's), it was _Pandora_ that seemed the most enraged.

"I will fight with you against him, Phantom. I have… history, with that monster."

"Alright then, is everyone clear on their roles?" Everyone present nodded and readied there weaponry. "Good. Get your troops up to speed and then hit them with everything you've got; this is going to be a long day. Clockwork…?"

The hooded ghost nodded and tapped his staff while everyone prepared for the chaos that would ensue.

"Time in."

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><p><strong>[AN: And there you have, the full assembly of (my version of) Team Phantom. This chapter may be a little confusing and a bit dull as it's mainly background and a touch of foreshadowing. <strong>

**The next chapter or two will be very action heavy, and I haven't really had much opportunity to practice that style of writing in DP fics; the closest was a brief and very one-sided battle between Danny and Valerie in 'The Events That Shape Us'. So please bear with me as I try to write it and there may be some delays associated with that, but I will try to get the next chapter up about this same time next week. **

**Also, the animosity between Pandora and Fright Knight is entirely part of my head-canon and so has no actual basis in canon-fact, but I have my reasons for it...**

**Thanks for reading! /AN]**


	3. The Fray

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

**[AN: And here we are, I apologise profusely for the wait, but it was largely unavoidable and I am hopefully about ready to return to a reasonably consistent update schedule. I've also gone back and cleaned up the previous chapters somewhat, they're pretty minor changes, but I'm just letting you know.**

**Any way, this is the first of at least three chapters dealing with the battle, so without further adieu... /AN]**

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><p><span><strong>The Edge of Reason<strong>

**Chapter 3:**** The Fray**

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><p>Danny's original plan had been to head Fright Knight off, deal with him, then go from there. Of course, it wasn't quite that simple.<p>

Upon seeing him, Fright Knight had let himself be swallowed by the horde, using it to screen himself from Danny and his allies. So now Danny and Pandora had to fight through some hundreds of ghosts just to reach him.

That was going to take a toll.

There was a useful fact Danny had learned by (hard) experience early on in his hero 'career'; five weak enemies were harder to fight than a single tough one. This was mainly because they could attack form more angles and you had to divide your attention between them. Now multiply that out a hundred-fold, and you can begin to see why Danny was _really _not pleased about the current situation.

His first thought was, naturally, to punch straight through, but while the ghosts in front of him weren't much of a threat, it was all the ones that came to fill in the void left _behind_ him that became a problem. Only a series of desperate teleports and aerial manoeuvres had saved him from serious injury; he was going to cop an ear-full from Sam later if she ever found out.

Now he had something of a decision to make; keep applying pressure and compressing the ghostly swarm, thus making it even harder/impossible to reach Fright Knight, or let them disperse and fight them across the town, but gaining immediate access to Fright Knight.

The first would mean the fight would drag on for some time and it would put his team at serious risk, but it would give the civilians time to get to safety. Alternatively, they could end the major, obvious threat quickly, but then have to spend hours on clean-up across the city, hunting down the dispersed ghosts and risking civilian casualties.

It wasn't much of a choice, really.

"Pandora, we can't get to him, not yet. As soon as he's vulnerable, we'll take him down, but until then, we need to thin these guys out as much as possible."

The imposing spectre was blazing with rage, but she nodded in acquiescence.

"What do you propose?"

"We cover each other's flank and get into the thick of it; the more we can have focusing on us, the better off everyone else will be."

"Very well, they shall know our might after this day!"

She didn't know just how prophetic her words would turn out to be.

Nodding grimly in agreement, Danny focused on the nearest cluster of foes, teleporting into the midst of them and reappearing in an explosion of super-chilled air. Every droplet of moisture in the air surrounding the ghosts snap-froze, entombing them and causing the whole group to plummet to the ground, where they could be easily dealt with by Frostbite and Dora's forces.

The three ghosts he targeted next where nearly vaporised as an ecto-blast ripped through each one's form, quickly fading out of existence. Danny knew they weren't actually destroyed; you needed to eliminate the core to truly destroy a ghost, but their cores were unable to find and maintain enough ectoplasm to manifest themselves, causing them to effectively disappear and retreat to the Ghost Zone, taking them out of the fight.

Normally Danny loathed using such painful and destructive means, but capture and containment simply wasn't an option in this fight, the stakes were too high. And besides, they had attacked _his_ home, _his_ friends and _his_ family en-masse; he needed to send a message that this was _not_ okay.

A large, ape-like ghost charged him next, but Danny side-stepped (side-floated?) and latched on to its nearest limb. If the creature had of been made of flesh and blood, it's shoulder joint would have been shattered by the force Danny used to hold it in position; it was a ghost, however, and so the limb merely stretched and distended. Of course, the sensation of pain was no less severe, and the ghost howled in agony as Danny checked its momentum and then sent it careening into another pair of encroaching spectres.

A more humanoid ghost fired a salvo of ecto-blasts at him, but a short teleport simultaneously brought him out of the path of the attack and into the face of his attacker. Grabbing the still outstretched limb, ice raced out from where his finger tips touched the ghost, freezing the arm solid in under a second while Danny brought his other arm around in a crushing blow that left the other ghost reeling. Wrenching on the now-frozen arm, he twisted the unfortunate ghost beneath him, shattering much of the arm in the process, before using him as a spring-board to crash tackle another nearby ghost, whilst sending the (literally) disarmed spook crashing into those below him.

He collided with the next ghost and didn't waste a second in vaporizing it with a close range burst of ecto-energy, before absorbing a hail of incoming fire with an ecto-shield. He unleashed a flurry of strikes on one of the ghosts that had tried to get in close while he was distracted, raining crushing blows down on the stunned creature. The ghost never even had the chance to respond before it was being hurled into the sky, just in time for Danielle to blast it with a precise trio of shots.

Another ghost tried to tear at him from behind, but it was interrupted when a burnished bronze spear, glowing with ectoplasmic energy, pierced directly through its chest cavity, halting its attack. Danny turned around just in time to see Pandora send another ghost flying with a mighty strike of her shield and he was about to intervene against two more hostiles that seemed to think Pandora was now exposed and defenceless as they rushed towards her.

How wrong they were.

Her other two arms were already in the process of unsheathing a pair of gleaming Xiphos short-swords, which were immediately buried deep into the would-be attacker's bodies. Only a nod was shared between the two warriors as the impaled ghosts faded from sight and they moved on to their next targets.

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><p>Dani was having the time of her life.<p>

And sure, she realised that it was actually a really serious situation and that people could get really hurt if something went wrong, but she almost never got the chance to really test her powers out, and she finally got to spend some more girl-time with Val.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't everyone's idea of 'girl-time', but it worked for them.

Besides, she wasn't really in the thick of things, not like Mummy or Daddy. Sure, every once and a while some ghost would spot her and think she was an easy target; they got a full-powered ecto-blast to the face for their trouble. But mainly she was flying around the perimeter, chasing down runners and raining shots into the really thick parts of the ghostly mass beneath her; the real trick was pacing herself, even she knew this wasn't going to be a quick fight.

After blasting Danny's most recent offering, she called out to Val who was lining up for another strafing run.

"Hey Val, how many are you up to?"

"23-wait no, make that 25. How about you?"

"Ha, I'm on 31, betcha' can't catch up to me!" She shouted back triumphantly.

"Considering I just got to 33 while you were preening, I might just take that bet!" the smirk in her voice was obviously and she only laughed harder when she saw Dani pouting at her response.

Glaring at the armour-clad huntress, Dani redoubled her efforts, but not before worrying ever so slightly about how her mum was doing.

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><p><strong>[AN: So what did you think? This is my first attempt at writing some proper action sequences for this fandom, so I'm interested to see what you all think of it; there will be more to come, so it would be in your best interest to point out any areas I could improve in.<strong>

**The next chapter will deal with the ground forces (Sam, Wulf, Dora and Frostbite, and Clockwork will almost certainly show up). Beyond that, it's still up in the air, but I do have a very distinct plan for this story on a macro scale, so it won't turn into a never-ending ramble.**

**Thanks for waiting and reading, and I hope you enjoyed the update. /AN]**


	4. Over My head

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

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><p><span><strong>The Edge of Reason<strong>

**Chapter 4:**** Over My Head**

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><p>Normally, Sam was pretty dismissive of her fiancée's overprotective nature; it was a part of who he was and it always had been. Plus, if she was honest with herself, she may, on rare occasions, be kind of protective towards him, to (read: she was really just as bad, if not worse).<p>

Today, however, she was quite glad he had insisted on Wulf sticking with her.

While she'd probably never admit it to his face (he would be unbearably smug about it for a week afterwards, at best), she would have been somewhat out of her depth trying to hold her own against _this many_ ghosts.

It wasn't like she wasn't experienced in ghost fighting or anything; she'd had years of experience hunting down various ghosts with Danny. But that was hunting, which is _definitely_ not what this maelstrom was.

She'd already taken a couple of hits so far, as her charred and ectoplasm-stained armour could attest to, and Wulf had pulled her ass out of the fire (literally in one case) on a couple of occasions. Of course, she had returned the favour as well, so it wasn't like she was the only one struggling, it was just an intense battle and neither of them were inclined to give an inch to the enemy horde.

A round from her bazooka detonated and the resulting portal sucked in a clump of ghosts that had made the mistake of bunching together just a little bit to close, while another two took the opportunity to line her up. A quick roll behind a nearby car blocked the shots and she popped back up and hit both offenders with a blast from her wrist rays; the car was a loss, however.

Wulf, for his part, was making use of his unnatural strength and agility, leaping through narrow alleys, dashing between obstacles and targets and just generally shadowing Sam's movements. They worked well together; she would clear the path ahead, while he would clean up the sides and rear and pull her out if things got too hot.

Like right now.

Seven more ghosts quickly filled the spots left by the ones she'd just taken out, and they knew an exposed target when they saw one.

Of course, they didn't count on the 8ft tall Lycanthrope that came flying through their midst's in a flurry of slashing claws.

Two of the would-be attackers went down immediately as Wulf continued on his trajectory, scooped Sam up and then bounded off down another side-street, beating a rapid retreat.

After less than a minute of gut-churning leaps and feats of agility (despite possessing the usual powers of flight and intangibility, Wulf rarely made use of them), she was deposited back at what had become their forward base of sorts, where the Fenton's had helpfully dropped off a cache of weapons and power packs, as well as a large supply of Ecto-perfecto to help any badly wounded ghosts.

Unfortunately, that supply was getting a good workout.

Badly wounded allies were dotted around the site, some missing limbs, others possessing new cavities in their chests, and the forms of others were flickering violently as their cores struggled to retain their shapes.

Her mind briefly wondered if that's what Danielle had looked like before Danny had saved her, before she clamped down on the stray thought; she couldn't afford to worry about them, to even think about them at the moment. If she got distracted for even a second in the middle of a fight, then Danielle might not have a mother any more.

Two of Clockwork's duplicates were floating around the area, doing what they could to stabilise the wounded and return them to the battle, but there was only so much that could be done, and another one faded away before her eyes as its core failed and died.

There were more here than there were last time, about twenty, but most of the ones she had seen previously were gone.

She wasn't sure if that was good news or not.

Gritting her teeth, she powered past the injured as she made her way to the makeshift armoury to rearm and check her armour for damage, doing her best to block out the sounds of the battle raging around her.

She shrugged off the heavy plates of her customised armour (black with violet accents, naturally) and gave it a quick visual inspection for any structural damage. Satisfied that it was still functional, she hooked it up to the diagnostic computer for a proper check and then sent a call through to Jazz, asking for an update.

"It's a mess, Sam. I'm counting over a thousand ecto-signatures at the moment, most of which we've never even seen before and a lot of them are packed in so tightly that I can't even get a proper read on them. On the plus side, there's about three hundred fewer than when we started, so that's something," Jazz replied, the usually calm and collected woman sounding somewhat shaken by the magnitude of this attack.

"Alright, what about the tactical situation as a whole?" Sam asked as she digested the new information. Over a thousand enemy ghosts, most of which hadn't set foot in Amity Park before… there was something very wrong about the whole situation.

"It's hard to tell because of how fluid it all is, but it looks like you guys have managed to contain them a bit; they certainly haven't made any real progress towards the residential areas. It looks like a bit of a stalemate though, overall. Danny and Pandora were cut-off from Fright Knight, so that plan's stalled for the moment, but Mum and Dad have almost finished with the evacuation, so they should be there to help soon, along with Pandora's forces; that should give you the advantage."

So they were fighting them to a standstill at the moment, that was better than nothing, she supposed. But with Fright Knight still active and numbers to burn, their enemies had the advantage and they would be in trouble if something didn't change soon. They needed to deal with Fright Knight and condense the horde a bit before Danny could hit them with a Ghostly Wail, otherwise this fight would drag on for hours and the casualties would be way too high.

Hearing the computer beep to say her diagnostic was complete and that her armour was still in working order wrenched her from her thoughts. She clasped the form-fitting system of ceramic plates back on as she replied to Jazz.

"Got it Jazz, where should Wulf and I go next?"

"Um, it looks like they're building up around the north-east side- wait, no, it looks like Clockwork just took care of them. Alright, go about 200m west of the base, it looks like they're making a push against Frostbite's position there."

And so she found herself back into the fray once more.

* * *

><p>Jazz slumped back against the well-worn chair in the Ops-Centre as she stared at the swirling, chaotic mass of dots that represented all the ghosts in Amity Park, all one thousand one hundred and fifty- two of them.<p>

Normally, she lived for a challenge, something to push her limits and test her skills; but this was something way more serious than a simple challenge. It was her family out there, in the firing line, and the odds really weren't in their favour this time. She knew that they were all a match for any five ghosts and probably more, but all it would take was one lucky shot…

Turning her mind to a more familiar topic, she analysed her brief talk with Sam. She cared for the younger girl like a sister, and that's practically what she had been for the last ten years or so. As such, the strain in her voice and the cold edge to it immediately set off alarm bells.

Jazz knew that Danny and Danielle's safety would be weighing heavily on her mind at the moment and she was clearly trying to distract herself from worrying about it, but the effort was showing. She was determined and impossibly stubborn, but she was also highly emotional and devoted, and she just couldn't switch that part of her off, try as she might. But if she kept suppressing it like this, something was in danger of breaking, and if something were to ever happen to-

The sudden appearance of two hundred new ecto-signatures caught her eye and she nearly leapt out of her chair. These new signatures were familiar, familiar and not in the least bit friendly.

Walker and his prison guards had just arrived.

* * *

><p>"Alright Skulker, you may begin; do NOT fail me or I will reduce your precious suit into so much ash, with you inside if I feel so inclined."<p>

Skulker merely rolled his eyes at the casual threat of violence and flew through the portal, readying himself for the hunt.

This one would be interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN: And there you are, more complications!<strong>

**Sorry about the wait, but there wasn't much I could do about it, I didn't have nearly as much time as I would have liked to write and DP combat is still a difficult subject matter for me.**

**Also, there is something of a pun/reference in the last two chapter titles. it wasn't exactly intentional, but it was to perfect to pass up.**

**Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. /AN]**


	5. Third Party Insurance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

**[AN: So... it's been a while. Sorry about that.**

**Because you're probably not interested in excuses and because I don't have in particularly compelling ones to give anyway, I'll just leave you with this chapter. /AN]**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Edge of Reason<strong>

**Chapter 4:**** Third party Insurance**

* * *

><p>Tired and a little worse for wear from the constant fighting, to say Danny was displeased by Walker's sudden appearance would have been understatement of the century. He was angry enough with the brazen attack on his town, and his newly acquired injuries, combined with worrying about all of his allies and loved ones, were beginning to fray his nerves.<p>

If Walker wasn't here to help, then things were going to get ugly.

"So you're finally here to clean up your mess, huh Walker? Took you long enough. What do 'The Rules' say about paying for damages caused by prisoners that escaped from _your_ jail?"

"I should have known you'd have something to do with this, Punk. This is another 1000 years for your sentence, I think; releasing all my high security prisoners like that," the skeletal ghost sneered back at the halfa.

"Wait, you think _I_ orchestrated all this?! Why in all the realms would you possibly think that? Do you think this is my idea of a fun Saturday morning or something?!" Danny shouted in exasperation, waving his arms around to gesture to the chaos unfolding before them.

"I have my evidence, and it's pretty clear from where I'm standing. Besides, you still owe me 7 300 years in a cell I designed especially for you; like it or not Phantom, you're coming with me and the rest of this trash."

Danny was trying desperately to restrain his desire to simply obliterate Walker here and now and get back to the fight, but that would only cause more problems. Walker created and maintained his prison, it was his lair, so if he were to be destroyed then so would the prison complex, which would mean all of these other ghosts would be free to cause havoc elsewhere.

Still, he wasn't exactly going to let Walker imprison him for a couple of millennia.

"You know, as nice as the all expenses paid vacation sounds, I think I'll have to pass this time, because I'm kinda busy cleaning up your mess at the moment."

"You don't get a say in the matter, Punk. You broke the Rules, a lot, and now you have to face the law, just like all these other scumbags."

He really didn't have time for this, why did he ever think he could rationalise with _Walker?!_ The guy was completely obsessed. Still, the optimist in him said to give it one more try.

"Last warning, Walker. I don't have time to deal with your obsessive psychosis right now, so how about you take your collection of 'Warden Walker's Finest' and your Top 1000 Most Wanted over there back to your little domain, before I lose my patience," Danny practically growled, eyes glowing violently as he unconsciously prepared for the inevitable fight.

"Oh I will Phantom, but you _will_ be coming with them, whether you wa-" Walker began, only to be cut off by a searing beam of ectoplasmic energy slamming into his body, courtesy of one seriously pissed off Phantom. The impact blasted him back into the crowd of his guards and left a gaping hole in his carefully maintained suit, along with most of the form behind it.

Wounded and badly weakened, Walker, screamed orders in incoherent rage as he slunk back behind his guardsmen to recover. This seemed to break the shock that had taken a hold of his forces and they began rushing forward, batons and riot shields raised.

For his part, Danny just teleported back towards his allies before the onrushing mass of armoured ghosts reached him, leaving the majority of their mutual enemies between them. Taking a moment to recover from the amount of energy he'd expended already, he began dispensing more orders as the field of play changed once again.

* * *

><p>If anyone had had the time and inclination to fly up well above the whole maelstrom and observe it from a distance, they would have seen something that resembled a fluorescent green hurricane more than normal ghost fight. The escaped prisoners were now stuck between Danny's allies and their Walker's guards.<p>

Luckily for Danny, and Amity Park as a whole, they seemed to harbor far more animosity for their former jailors than the town they had been directed to attack, and so they quickly turned their attention, and rage, on the newly arrived and now leaderless guardsmen. The fighting was absolutely brutal, with decades, even centuries, of grievances on both sides being released in an unrestrained orgy of violence.

There would be a lot of ghosts that wouldn't leave this battlefield, the remains of their shattered cores littering the ground as their foes roared in triumph for every mortal blow.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, there was one individual with both the time and inclination to watch the battle unfold.<p>

Skulker was a hunter, and any good hunter new that a good vantage point was necessary to stalk and observe your prey. And so he hovered there, jetpack roaring in order to keep him hundreds of feet above the chaos beneath him as he observed his first target.

The Whelplette ducked, weaved and dived in the air, relying on agility and precision to defeat her foes, as they were unexpectedly assailed from above. She was predictable, though, always the same pattern of attacks.

Skulker smirked as he observed his prey and waited for the opportune time to strike. Her strength wasn't to be underestimated, but her pattern made her predictable and obvious, plus he would have the element of surprise.

The only problem would be the red suited human. She was formidable and alert, if she were to spot him before he could capture his target, he wouldn't get a second chance.

But now it appeared the huntress had been called away, as she sped off to the other edge of the roiling battle to catch some fleeing prisoners that were escaping towards the town.

He couldn't help the mechanical chuckle that escaped him as he began his attack, relishing the thrill of this hunt.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN:<strong> **Yeah, so there you are, things are beginning to enter the final phase of the battle. I really want to get back to this story, as my direction for it has just recently returned, but I'm also two months out of practice with writing DP characters, so I've got a small one-shot I want to work on as well, plus the next chapter for the 'Team Phantom Handbook', which has also been sadly neglected recently.**

**So long story short, I want to update this regularly again, but it could be a couple of week s until that happens.**

**Thanks for your patience and for taking the time to read. /AN]**


	6. Grudge Match

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

**[AN: I'm back, kinda...**

**I've finally gotten around to working on this story again after updating my other DP stories. You can expect to see updates and polishes coming to previous chapters in the coming weeks, along with new chapters as they're finished.**

**I figured, in the mean time, however, that I should at least give you an update, along with some hints to the main plot.**

**Any and all feedback would be fantastic, particularly on the fight scene.**

**Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. /AN]**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Edge of Reason<strong>

**Chapter 6:**** Grudge match**

* * *

><p>Other than taking the heat off of the ghosts and humans protecting Amity Park, the sudden appearance of the Walker's Guards had also caused Fright Knight to expose himself, charging through the guards and trapping them inside Soul Shredder as the terrifying blade cleaved through their ranks with disturbing ease.<p>

Danny was about to radio for Pandora as he tracked the demonic knight from above, but he needn't have bothered, because she was by his side in an instant, before they both dived into the maelstrom…

…and streaked out on the other side like a meteor, Fright Knight having been tackled off his mount by Danny, who wasn't slowing as he approached the hard asphalt of the street below.

The thundering impact could be heard half a mile away as the two powerful spectres crunched into the street, Fright Knight taking by far the worst of the impact, the road beneath shattering and cracking violently from the force.

Not that you'd know that, however, as the spectral knight almost immediately flung Danny off and towards Pandora, who halted her flight to catch him.

With the original element of surprise lost, the two parties eyed each other carefully, analysing and searching for any weaknesses.

"So the pitiable Phantom comes to defend his Town, unable to accept that it will be fear that brings it crumbling down," the twisted Knight mocked as he strode easily out of the crater created in his impact, twirling his vicious sword as he did, before turning his attention on Pandora.

"Ah, and the Observants' Champion comes also, to end the fight started all those centuries ago."

"Hold you snake tongue, monster; centuries stuck inside a gourd will not erase your crimes, nor your cowardice," Pandora spat, her red eyes blazing with fury.

Fright Knight just seemed amused.

"You have no authority over me, Puppet Queen; I will enjoy your fear when my blade causes your soul to keen," he chuckled, a hollow, lifeless sound that rang out from his metallic armour.

While Danny didn't know much of anything regarding their obvious history, he wasn't really in the mood to banter all day when his Town and his friends were still in mortal danger.

A powerful ecto-blast scarred Fright Knight's armour as Danny rushed forward, hoping to get inside of his foe's reach and disarm him before he could use Soul Shredder to devastating effect, but it was not to be.

A frantic deflection with a hastily constructed chunk of ice was all that stopped him from being trapped by the expertly wielded blade as he backed off again, letting Pandora take over with her shield and spear combo while he tried to find a weakness to exploit.

Normally, Danny was about an even match for Fright Knight, but not after he had spent an hour fighting hundreds of minions and acquiring the inevitable injuries that came from that much combat. Unfortunately, Pandora was also in a similar state and it was clear already that the only reason Pandora had any chance was that her spear gave her a range advantage.

Fright Knight had Pandora on the defensive from the start, alternating between powerful blows of his sword and equally devastating blasts of ectoplasm.

The problem was that while Pandora was a formidable tactician and an expert martial combatant, Fright Knight was better.

He was a more powerful ghost, he had more energy to use, more strength to wield, and a single touch from his blade would mean the end of the fight. Equally, he was just as proficient with his ectoplasmic abilities as he was with his sword, whereas Pandora, while well versed in using many of her abilities, focused far more on her martial prowess.

And Fright Knight was definitely using that to his advantage, toying with her as they duelled. But soon he would grow tired of his game.

Seeing what was about to happen, Danny tried to intervene with his ice powers, but both of them were literally radiating ectoplasmic energy, melting his ice before it could have any effect. So he watched in horror, unable to intervene because of their proximity, as Fright Knight duplicated himself, catching Pandora badly off guard. In whirl of black energy, the original teleported and reappeared directly behind Pandora and, without so much as a boasting remark, plunged Soul Shredder deep into her back, until the blade erupted out of her front, her ornate cuirass offering little more resistance than a tin can.

A choked gasp was all the proud queen managed in response, her favoured bronze spear clattering uselessly to the ground, before she was unceremoniously wrenched from this dimension into whatever realm the Soul Shredder imprisoned its victims in.

Reabsorbing the duplicate and calmly inspecting his blade, Fright Knight strode towards Danny with a casual grace, while Danny staggered, unable to accept that _Pandora_, one of the best fighters he knew, had just been dispatched so easily. He knew she wasn't dead, but he also knew that her current fate was far, far worse than death or destruction good ever be, which made it all the worse.

"Another ally gone away; it will not be the last, on this day," Fright Knight sneered as he took a battle stance, taunting Danny to fight.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he growled in response as his entire body lit up with ecto-energy, powered by his fury and anguish; he was not going to let this monster hurt any more of his friends, his family, and he certainly going to let one of his closest friends be slowly driven mad by that damned sword. And while he didn't have the sword skills to match Fright Knight in martial combat, he could definitely take him on in ghostly combat.

Ectoplasm lanced out from Danny, impacting heavily against his opponents plated armour, cracking the gleaming surface with its sheer power. The blow forced Fright Knight backwards, stumbling from the force and pain as the blasts bit into the ectoplasm that made up his form. When he looked up again, Danny was nowhere to be seen.

Another series of shots hammered his back as he whirled around to face his more agile opponent, turning just in time to see a very angry Phantom flying at full speed towards his head. The impact rang like a bell as Danny delivered a brutal strike to the Fright Knight's helmeted head, the force of the blow knocking the sturdy knight off his feet and sending him sliding down the street for another three metres.

Not giving his opponent time to recover, Danny began to pelt him with ecto-blasts, saturating the air between them with devastating firepower.

But the Fright Knight was one of the most feared entities in the Ghost Zone for a reason.

Weathering the storm that would have annihilated lesser ghosts, he struggled to his feet and erected a shield dome, bracing himself against the bombardment. A minute later and the rain of fire was over, leaving one very drained Phantom and one damaged, but far from beaten, Fright Knight.

Seeing his enemy still standing, Danny flew towards him once again, too tired and too angry to even consider his usual banter.

Fright Knight merely planted his feet and raised Soul Shredder, ready to face the foolish halfa, right up until Danny disappeared in a whirl of light. Finely honed instincts kicked in as he spun and lashed out, his gauntleted fist connecting violently with Danny's newly teleported body, cracking ribs and brutally forcing all the air out of his lungs. This blow was followed up by a sharp crack as the pommel of Soul Shredder came crashing down on top of the Halfa's skull.

Danny collapsed on the ground, coughing up ectoplasm as he struggled for breath, while more ectoplasm began to leak from the head wound. Teleportation was a draining action, and on top of the ecto-barrage just prior, not to mention the hour of heavy combat before this fight even started, Danny was not ready to sustain such an unexpected hit. So there he lay, at the mercy of one of his most merciless enemies.

"Be thankful that my master requires you alive, boy. Even if you are only to be relegated to his toy, it is a better fate than I would have afforded, the fate your meddling so far has accorded," he said as he inspected the glowing blade in his hand, but Danny wasn't listening to his taunting. Danny's attention was focused on the glistening spear lying a mere two metres from his prone form.

Scrambling forward in a burst of motion while Fright Knight's attention was diverted and desperately trying to blot out the intense pain of his broken ribs, he grasped the burnished spear.

Caught unprepared in his gloating, Fright Knight was not at all expecting the honed spear that passed cleanly through his breastplate, effectively impaling him.

Oh, how the tables had turned.

"Alright Fright Knight, what's Vlad's plan this time? You've got about five seconds before I burn your core to ash," Danny threatened, the blood caking the side of his head somehow adding to his menace as he loomed closer to his now defeated foe.

"You need not threaten, for he wishes you to know; the plot is mundane, but the goal, yes the goal is to determine who shall reign."

"Fine, but what is his plan, why did he organise this attack?" Danny snarled, in no mood for cryptic responses.

"Answer me this Phantom; your maiden, have you heard from her? And for that matter, where is your daughter?" The fallen knight sneered, enjoying the dawning horror that washed over the halfa's face at his words.


	7. Of Course it's a Trap

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Edge of Reason<strong>

**Chapter 7:**** Of Course it's a Trap...**

* * *

><p>Sam sighted down the barrel of her ecto-bazooka once more, ensuring it was lined up right at the centre of the alley even though it hadn't moved an inch since she'd last checked it, thirty seconds ago.<p>

Something was wrong; Wulf should have been back by now.

The manoeuvre they had planned was simple and it had worked flawlessly at least a dozen times already today. Wulf would flank a large group of enemies, harass them for a bit, and then dash away, seemingly fleeing. The angered but confident ghosts would follow as Wulf led them down some sort of narrow chokepoint and right into the path of Sam's weapons.

One small, on demand ghost portal later and the problem was solved.

It was clean, efficient and it conserved Sam's impressive, but still only human, stamina.

But normally Wulf was gone for no more than two minutes; it had now been more than three times that.

Shifting slightly in her concealed position (it wouldn't do to be seen by a random ghost passing overhead, after all), she strained her ears to try and make out any hint of Esperanto over the chaos of the battle occurring around her, something that might give her a hint as to Wulf's location and status.

Nothing.

Sighing forcefully and trying to ignore the leaden weight of anxiety that was steadily growing in her gut, she sighted in on the alleyway once again, just in case her lupine friend came bounding through it, angry ghosts in pursuit.

He didn't.

Another minute passed and Sam could feel her anxiety growing exponentially with every second that passed. Her instincts, which had been whispering that something was wrong ever since this whole mess started, had started screaming.

Tapping her Fenton-Phone, she tried to contact Wulf, desperately hoping that she wouldn't be distracting him at some crucial moment.

Silence was her only response.

The leaden weight instantly became a dread-laced anvil.

Frantically activating her comm once again, she tried a different approach.

"Jazz, do you have a location on Wulf? I can't raise him on the radio," she explained to the red-head on the other end of the line, stomping down on her rising panic.

"_I've got him, he's three streets to your right… Sam, he's not moving._"

The emotional dam burst, and Sam was racing down the alley.

Jazz must have seen her sudden burst of movement on her screen and inferred its reason.

"_Sam? Sam! Listen, I'm sending re-enforcements, Frostbite's on his way with some of his warriors, just wait a moment, pleas-_" her pleading voice was cut off as Sam tapped the earbud, silencing the device.

Her shoulder slammed into a brick wall as she raced around another corner, using the walls to redirect her rather than losing precious seconds slowing down every time she approached another building.

Another corner produced another abrasion on her now thoroughly marked armour as she finally reached her destination; the large mass of black fur trapped under a glowing green net was her main indication.

A primal, and currently rather useful, part of her subconscious noted that rushing out into the open would be a very bad idea. Of course, the crushing weight of her anxiety and fear for her friend's life overrode that realisation, as she dashed out to Wulf's immobile form.

She'd only just reached the netting when the _thud_ of something heavy landing on the road behind her froze her in place. Another two sounds, asphalt crunching under foot, and she had adjusted her grip on the bazooka, as she prepared to swing it at her approaching foe. Another step, and she figured that was close enough.

She spun to her right, pivoting perfectly on her back leg as the force of the spin and the weight of the bazooka carried her through the action, the weapon perfectly placed to strike… nothing.

The improvised melee weapon struck nothing as it cleaved through the air, its momentum now a hindrance as the force of the follow-through nearly pulled Sam off her feet.

A moment of stunned incomprehension was all her mind afforded her before she remembered a pair of rather important facts.

'Right, ghosts can turn themselves invisible _and_ intangible. So where is it now…'

A flicker of motion off to her left was the only warning she got before an immense weight slammed into her back, forcing her straight into the concrete of the sidewalk. The sharp _crack_ of her armour's ceramic plates breaking alerted her to the fact that it had just saved her from a shattered spine, and that it probably wouldn't be able to stop a second blow.

She snap-rolled to the side, gritting her teeth against the spasms of pain in from her back and diaphragm, and brought her wrist-rays to bear on her attacker.

An eerily human skull, forged in a malleable metal, sneered back at her, while the burning eyes and flaming green Mohawk clearly identified her attacker; Skulker.

Not good.

While Danny might be more than a match for him, but his exosuit and variety of weapons made him far too dangerous for any human to fight one-on-one, especially if he had you at a disadvantage; like right now.

"This is why I don't normally hunt humans, you're too soft."

Seizing what little opening she had, Sam fired both her wrist-rays into Skulker's chest, only to watch in horror as the giant didn't even flinch, the thick metal of his suit barely even scratched by weapons, designed as they were to damage ectoplasm, not steel.

Quickly realising that this wasn't a fight she wasn't going to win, she lifted a hand to her comm to alert someone, anyone, but a cold steel grip stopped her short. Carefully, almost delicately, the other metallic arm removed the Fenton Phone and placed it on the pavement.

"Can't have the Whelp knowing you're in trouble yet, Plasmius has this whole 'Grand Plan' that he wants to go through first. And if you're mate plays along, you'll be returned to him soon enough, along with the whelplette."

Sam's eyes widened in shock at that.

"What the hell have you done with my Daughter!" She screamed at the hulking mass of metal in front of her, straining in vain against his vice-like grip.

"Nothing, yet. Plasmius wants you both in good condition; he seems to think it'll make the Whelp a bit less angry and more controllable," the huff of amusement he made conveyed exactly how likely he thought that would be.

"Then why shouldn't I struggle and make your job difficult?"

"Because I don't want to hurt you, human, or your child; there is no honour in that. Even the Whelp himself I mainly hunt for sport, rather than his pelt. But I have contracts to keep, and carrying out Plasmius' schemes is one of those contracts. So either you recognise when you are bested, or I will force your co-operation; either way you _will_ be coming with me, it's up to you to decide how much pain you and your daughter will be in."

She didn't reply, but even as she continued to strain against his grip, he twisted her arms behind her back and secured some sort of restraint around them.

"At least let me see if my daughter's all right likes you said, if you've actually captured her."

Skulker merely jerked his thumb in a direction behind her.

Ice clutched her heart as she turned and saw the black hair and violet pyjamas framing an unconscious and slightly beaten Danielle.

She was so distracted by the sight of her beaten and trapped daughter that she didn't notice the needle spring out from one of the many ports on her captor's armour and when she felt it jab into her thigh, it was too late to do anything about it.

Darkness consumed her in seconds.


End file.
